Dr. Gabel’s philosophy is to deliver world-class results by using the most advanced techniques, while treating each patient as an individual. He performs all microscopically prepared ultra refined follicular unit grafting. In addition, he uses the lateral slit technique for placement in order to maximize density and coverage. He carefully creates all the incisions for these refined follicular unit grafts using tiny custom cut blades. By carefully controlling the angle and direction of these incisions he creates a very natural pattern and direction for the new hair, even in the temple and sides.

Dr. Gabel specializes in both highly refined FUSS (Follicular Unit Strip Surgery) and advanced FUE - Follicular Unit Excision (formerly known as Follicular Unit Extraction) using punches as small as .8mm to minimize trauma to the scalp. Dr. Gabel has been performing FUE since 2006, when FUE was still in its infancy stages of development and innovation. Dr. Gabel feels that FUE is vital and plays an important roll in today's hair transplant surgery, in particular for patients who want to wear their hair on the sides and back of their head cropped short.

Dr. Gabel takes pride in the fact that he personally places the majority of the grafts and rarely leaves the patient’s side. When closing the donor site Dr. Gabel uses his plastic surgery background in creating the most minimal scar possible using trichophytic closure techniques.

Dr. Gabel’s private office and surgical suite allow him to get to know his patients on an individual basis and provide a superior level of personal attention. He conducts all consultations himself. During consultations, he spends as much time as necessary to get a clear picture of his patients’ goals and expectations. He then provides an honest assessment of their needs and tailors his recommendations to each individual patient. He then designs a treatment plan that includes both medical and surgical options. This level of personalized attention continues from the initial consultation through the surgical procedure and the postoperative visits.

All surgery is performed in his private in office surgery suite under local anesthesia. This suite is tailored specifically to the needs of the hair restoration patient, featuring state-of-the-art surgical equipment and microscopes, as well as the latest in patient amenities. The special instruments he uses create tiny and minimally invasive incisions that enable very small grafts to be placed close together. This enables his patients to achieve cosmetic density in a given area after only one surgical session.

Medical Background

After graduating with honors from Michigan State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in physiology, Dr. Gabel went on to earn his medical degree from the Loyola University-Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine in Illinois. He followed these studies with a one-year internship in general surgery at the Loyola University Medical Center and a four-year residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the same center. During his time at Loyola, Dr. Gabel engaged in research studies on the process of new blood vessel growth in head and neck cancer.

Following his residency, Dr. Gabel elected to complete a one-year fellowship at the University of Missouri focused specifically on facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, where he was actively involved in numerous hair restoration procedures.

Dr. Gabel continues to keep abreast of the many developments in the field of hair restoration surgery through his active involvement in professional organizations. In addition to his membership in the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, he is a member of several other highly respected medical associations and societies. These include the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, the Oregon Medical Association, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He is board-certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Over the years, Dr. Gabel has been recognized numerous times for his research projects, winning several first place and other top national awards. He has also lectured and published on the subjects of hair loss and restoration, facial cosmetic surgery, head and neck surgery, and he has taught hair restoration courses to other surgeons.

I've had a classic 'widow's peak' ever since I can remember. Due to heredity, the hair on each side of the peak began to erode beginning in my mid-thirties and into my forties. By age 50 I had what could only be described...

I started looing my hair in college and it progressively got worse as I got older - I am now 37. I started noticing that my forehead started getting larger and larger and then one day somebody made a comment about the bald spot in the back of my...

As with any surgical procedure, I had some anxiety. Dr Gabel relieved much of my stress in our consultation. I found him extremely confident and professional. The transplant was actually enjoyable " as odd as that sounds".

Men in my family dont have too much luck with keeping their hair :(. My dad started losing his when he was 18 and I started losing mine when i was 21. Luckily I was blessed with a thick curly mane to begin with, and unnaturally low hairline so it took...

I have had a receding hairline since my mid twenties but noticed a significant hair loss over the past 5 years. When I saw some photos of me with the wind blowing in my face, I realized just how much hair I had really lost. After researching my...

I started loosing my hair in high school. After high school I went into the military and kept my hair buzzed for years. When I got out of the military it hit me just how much hair I had lost when I started trying to grow it out and so I started wearing...

I first noticed my impending hair loss around 11 years ago at age 22
when I had just left the Midwest for the first time
to live on the west coast and start a new life, and one of the first
things that happened was that someone commented on...

Now in my 50s, I began losing my hair in my 20's and have progressed to a NW 6-7 . I have worn hair replacement systems for over 20 years. I'm tired of the regular maintenance of hair systems and have now reached a point in my life where I would like...

New forum member, "FutureIsBright" shares the details of his excellent hair transplant experience with Dr. Gabel and staff.

3,826 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel in Portland, OR

3/10/2011

Forum member "snydez99" shares his experience and photos after a procedure of over 3,000 grafts with Dr. Gabel.

3 transplants with Dr. Gabel

1/29/2011

Forum member Frank shares his extreme satisfaction after 3 hair transplants with Dr. Gabel over a six year period.

Live Surgery with Dr. Gabel

1/4/2011

Forum member "OtherSyde" blogs live during his hair transplant with Dr. Gabel.

HT w/ Dr. Steven Gabel

8/8/2010

"Not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded." Forum member "mgrocks" describes his first class experience with Dr. Gabel.

3279 Grafts with Dr. Gabel: It's Been 18 Months!

3/7/2010

Forum member "badger_01" is "ecstatic" about his results a year and a half after his 3279 graft hair transplant with Dr. Gabel.

Dr. Gabel Patient Raves About His New Head of Hair

12/8/2008

Forum member "zanedwayne" had hair restoration surgery with Dr. Gabel 8 months ago and can't stop talking about his results. He states emphatically, "I would recommend Dr. Gabel to anyone who is thinking of getting a hair transplant."

Dr. Gabel patient receives 2815 grafts in the frontal third of his scalp

10/28/2007

Dr. Gabel recently posted before and 6 month post-op hair transplant pictures of a patient that received 2815 grafts in the frontal third of his scalp. This patient's hair looks very natural for only 6 months.

Kelly shares how she restored her receding hairline after only one session with Dr. Gabel. Full set of before and after photos presented.

2/15/2007

"Dr. Gabel delivered, as promised! I am very pleased with his aeshetics as well as his technique and skill. I now have a normal hairline and I no longer have the slightest hesitation to venture outside on a windy day without a hat or bandana. LIfe is now so much more enjoyable, I feel free and uninhibited."

Hank's 2,400 lateral slit grafts by Dr. Steve Gabel

12/13/2006

This patient recently did a 2,400 session of follicular units that were placed laterally in his frontal area. His goal was to re-establish his hairline area and then possibly restore his crown area at a later time.

Hair Transplant Videos: Patient Results and Education

Bothered by the thinning and receeding frontal hairline, this female hair transplant patient had a surgical hair restoration procedure with 2234 follicular unit grafts placed into her frontal hairline in one session with Dr. Gabel in Portland, Oregon. The video is 1 year after surgery which shows excellent fullness and structure to the frontal hairline.

Ken describes how he appears and feels 10 months after hair transplantation surgery in Portland, Oregon, with Dr. Steven Gabel. He had a hair transplant to full in his frontal hairline and mid scalp utilizing follicular unit grafting.

2315 Follicular unit grafts were surgical placed into the frontal hairline and midscalp of this patient. He still has several of his native hairs in the frontal region giving him a very natural frontal hairline. He is extremely happy with the results. This video was taken 3 years after the surgical procedure.

This patient had 2510 grafts placed into the frontal aspect of his scalp where he had very little hair. This result is only 6 months following the procedure; he has significant amount of hair to still grow and thicken up over the next year.

Ken is now 2 months after his procedure with Dr. Steven Gabel in Portland, Oregon. The transplanted hairs are dormant, but he has noticed a tiny bit of growth. Watch each month as Ken returns to the Gabel Hair Restoration Center to see his progress

Ken had a hair transplant with Dr. Steven Gabel in Portland, Oregon. He wanted to show people what it was like right after surgery and how the hair growth progresses and matures. He will be shooting video and taking photographs each month while it grows. This video is immediately after surgery.

This hair transplant video features Ken's hair transplant journey and results 9 months after the procedure. He had undergone 2569 grafts in a single procedure with Coalition member Dr. Steven Gabel. Watch this video to hear his testimonial and view his impressive results.

This 53-year-old gentleman started thinning years ago at the top and crown areas
of his scalp. He had tried medications without any significant growth.

We
transplanted 2098 grafts into the crown approximately 6 months ago. The series
of photographs show the scalp as he presented before any surgery or haircuts,
another photograph depicting the area of transplant showing his natural swirl
pattern with blue markings, and the 6-month preliminary results.

The
swirl pattern was created by following some the “wispy” natural hairs that he
had so I am able to make the slits in the natural direction and angle of his
native hair. At 6 months, the transplanted follicular unit grafts are growing
very well. He said that he did not shed that much after surgery and he has been
already cutting his hair regularly. Also, the video shows the close up of the
donor scar, which is thin and difficult to see even with his hair cut very
short.

Overall the hair growth is excellent at this stage and we
anticipate that the number of hairs will continue to increase and his hair will
also thicken over time. He said he would come back in 3-month intervals to show
his growth over time.

Male | Caucasion |
Class: 5 |
2098 Grafts
FUT/Strip | Transplant

Hair Transplant Patient Education and Consults

View hair transplant video interviews featuring interviews with leading hair transplant surgeons by clicking on a title that interests you below.

In this hair transplant video interview, Coalition hair restoration physician Dr. Steve Gabel discusses how he provides each patient with a personal approach and is involved in each step of the hair transplantation procedure.

In this hair transplant video interview, Coalition hair restoration physician Dr. Steve Gabel discusses why its important for prospective hair transplant patients to come into the office for an in-person consult with doctors they are considering for surgery.

In this hair transplant video interview, Coalition hair restoration physician Dr. Steve Gabel discusses his medical background and how he became involved in performing state of the art hair transplantation.

Articles Published on our Hair Loss Q&A website.

I recently had a consultation with a hair transplant patient who said he had 1000 graft follicular unit extraction (FUE) performed by a “specialized” technician (he had only 1 person do the entire case from start to finish in 4 hours) who traveled to his physician’s clinic to perform the case.

Although the majority of hair transplantation procedures involve extraction from the “hair loss resistant” region in the back of the scalp and implantation to thinning areas in the front of the scalp, hair transplant surgery has many other applications.

In this hair transplant video interview, Dr. Steve Gabel, a member of the elite Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians, discusses how he works with each prospective patient to develop a custom hair restoration plan.

I recommend and give baby shampoo to my patients after hair restoration surgery. I know it will not hurt the grafts as it is very mild. After doing hair transplants for greater then 10 years, I have never had a problem with hair growth so I know it is not doing any harm to the newly transplanted follicular unit grafts.

I recommend to my patients that they avoid unprotected sunlight exposure for 3 months after hair transplant surgery. This is not a hard and fast rule but it is important not to expose the grafted site for some time as the added radiation exposure could cause prolonged redness to the skin at the grafted site.

This takes the cake, or should be up there, in a list of top 10 bogus hair loss solutions. There is now an IPhone application for hair loss called: “HAIR CLINIC: for man and woman.” I just found this on the internet and had to check it out and it is true. Go to Apple’s website in the application store and you will find it.

There is no magical answer to when hair transplant patients can start dying their hair. The reason for this is that each patient heals at a different rate. I have some patients who come back 10 days after their hair replacement procedure and their incision and recipient sites look like they have healed. I have others that need a little more time to heal.

Iron deficiency is a real cause of hair loss. I have seen several cases of iron deficiency as a causative factor for alopecia in women. When I see women for hair loss, one of the things I investigate, along with other blood tests, is their iron levels. For men, a blood work up is rare, however, if their history and examination are not consistent with androgenetic alopecia, then I will investigate further.

I’ve been prescribing Propecia (finasteride) for hair loss for several years and did have one patient who had breast tenderness and gynecomastia (enlarged breasts) after taking the Propecia. The patient elected to continue the medication, and if the problem continued, he was going to...

I believe that the first two weeks following hair transplant surgery are the most critical. And it is important to understand that each person heals at different speeds; some balding men and women look amazing after one week while others take a little more time to look the same way.
For the incision, it is important not to stretch it or put any undo forces opposing the edges of the incision. This will just lead to more collagen formation, and ultimately, a larger scar. I tell all my hair replacement patients to allow the incision to heal well before any strenuous activity.